Sudan's Sovereign Council criticizes multiple initiatives and rapid support bombs "indiscriminately" in Omdurman

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sudan reported on Monday that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "indiscriminately" shelled areas in Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum, while Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Malik Aqar criticized the multiplicity of initiatives on ending the fighting in the country.

The emergency room of the old neighborhoods of Omdurman said in a press circular that the Rapid Support Forces indiscriminately shelled the neighborhoods of the old city of Omdurman, killing 5 people in the neighborhood of Al-Sharafiya.

The emergency room confirmed that the indiscriminate shelling of the Rapid Support came against the backdrop of the advance of army forces from several axes in the old Omdurman, explaining that the shelling resulted in the death of a woman and 4 children.

Earlier in the day, the Sudanese army fired artillery shells from northern Omdurman towards Rapid Support Forces positions.

This was accompanied by heavy gunfire from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in eastern and central Khartoum and south and center of Omdurman, where artillery shelling was heard, causing smoke to rise.

The army's air force also carried out raids on rapid support positions in Khartoum North, and plumes of thick smoke billowed south of the city.

Fierce clashes erupted south of Khartoum, especially in the vicinity of the army's armored corps and adjacent neighborhoods, and warplanes bombed the Republican Palace, which is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces in central Khartoum.

In El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, eyewitnesses reported that the city continues to witness a continuous movement of citizens out of the city, especially to neighbouring Chad.

Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, is also witnessing a very complex humanitarian situation, due to the lack of water, electricity and medicine services since the outbreak of clashes between the two parties to the conflict, according to local sources.

Meanwhile, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) called on the Revolutionary Democratic Movement to stop fighting in the country, calling in a statement for "the establishment of a new state and the preservation of the essence of the revolution," and stressed the need to stop human rights violations.

Criticism of multiple initiatives

For his part, Deputy Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council Malik Aqar criticized the multiplicity of external initiatives to end the crisis in his country, saying that they did not take Sudan to "the square of ending the war."

Aqar expressed hope that the sound of the gun will stop forever and that a new state will be established that Sudanese will be proud of.

On July 13, Cairo hosted a summit of Sudan's neighboring countries to discuss the repercussions of the Sudanese crisis, which erupted in armed clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

On June 15, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced its rejection of Kenya's chairmanship of the Quartet to resolve the Sudan crisis (IGAD).

Since the sixth of last May, Saudi Arabia and the United States have been sponsoring indirect negotiations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, which resulted in the first agreement in Jeddah between the two sides to commit to protecting civilians, and the announcement of more than one truce during which violations and exchange of accusations occurred between the two sides.

Egyptian Call for Ceasefire

In this context, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on the parties to the conflict in Sudan for an "immediate" ceasefire, pointing out that there is complete uncertainty in the course of the political process in the country.

This came in a speech at a meeting in Chad, the first of the ministerial mechanism emanating from the Cairo summit of Sudan's neighboring countries.

In his speech, Shoukry said that the Sudanese people live daily under the sound of guns and the scale of human suffering is increasing day by day.

The Egyptian minister expressed his hope that immediate measures will be taken by neighboring countries to help Sudan and that peace will reign throughout all its regions.

4 million displaced and refugees

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the conflict in Sudan has left 4 million displaced and refugees.

In a post on the X website (formerly Twitter), it added that the organization is closely monitoring the situation in Sudan and continues to expand its operational capabilities throughout the country.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that famine threatens more than 6 million people in Sudan due to the conflict, noting that more than two million internally displaced people were from Khartoum state alone.

According to the same source, the war in Sudan has forced 3 million people to flee within the country.

Since mid-April, the army and the RSF have been engaged in clashes that a series of truces have failed to stop, leaving more than 3,<> people dead, most of them civilians, according to the United Nations.

The army, led by Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo "Hemedti", accuse each other of being responsible for starting the fighting and committing violations during successive truces.